Final Project - Augmented Reality Pocket Mobile Gallery

Summary:
I believe in the importance of spreading, sharing, relaying information. The more people now, the more they grow and are able to explore the world and themselves. I also experiment with different ways to spread information. For this project, the information is art, specifically my photography. I use augmented reality to place my images on playing cards.

Inspiration:
Living in New York City, there is a constant reminder of the lack of color and vibrancy that could inhabit the structures around us. Yes, there are murals, street art, and graffiti that decorate select parts of the city, but drab gray, brown, and pale dirty walls are everywhere.

As I walk around the city, I think of potential artworks that could fill the space both physically and virtually. In the long run, I believe augmented reality can help in the dissemination of art and color throughout the city. I have a grand idea where proposed art installation can be prototyped via augmented reality and/or a physical space can have a virtual gallery with a constant rotation of artworks.

Before I can turn the city into a gallery, I have to learn how augmented reality works. (This is my first time using Unity.)


Research:
The first link was a false start, but it pointed me in the right direction. (I realized I needed to have a webcam for the testing process and set of instructions that were based on using an Android OS.)

Charlie Gerard - How to create Augmented Reality posters with Unity and Vuforia (1/31/18)
https://medium.com/@devdevcharlie/how-to-create-augmented-reality-posters-with-unity-vuforia-ec80a82e6d51


I eventually found this video and it became the backbone of my project.

YouTube Channel: Playful Technology - How to create an Augmented Reality App (2/10/18)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1420&v=MtiUx_szKbI


The above video gives instruction on the unity side but does instruct on how to move the app (APK file) to an Android device. The below video did not give the exact instructions I was looking for, but it was enough information to fill in myself in order to transfer and run the app on my smartphone.


YouTube Channel: Android Apps Junction - How to install apk files on android device (7/12/17)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDkV3jBYi2c


Process:
I followed Playful Technology's video step by step minus the segment that adds a video file to the AR app. I focused on the playing cards and decided to put my logo on the decorated side of the card and an image from my collection on the suit facing side of the card.


Visual Documentation:

The Target Image (Image in the physical world):

Augmented Reality Image (Image in the virtual world):

Demo:

The final app targets all of the Ace cards to link with an image from four bodies of work (BlackWhiteColor, Paper Waves, Wait, Life in a Box).

The APK file can be downloaded from the following link: Download APK File Here

Proof of Concept - black work

It takes a while for me to get comfortable with a new art form, a new process, and new materials. Though I like to experiment with new materials, the depth of my experimentation is tied to my interests in what I can create. Below is the combination of a new process (laser cutter) and a current project (black work). I found it easier to apply the new material/process to an existing passion. The laser cutter helped with the proof of concept for a photo piece.

black work (series title)

Lift or National Black Anthem (photo title)

Notes

The lyrics to the National Black Anthem will flow off of the page (roughly 20" x 28"). The letters will be around 2" in height.

Photoshop Mock Up of Picture

Sample letters were cut from a 1/4" piece of 12x12" wood panel. The top line was spray painted black.

Laser Cut Letters (approx 3")

20" x 28" Background Paper

The black letters were placed on a sheet of black paper similar to the photoshop version above.

The goal is to have the lyrics both blend and stand out to the viewer.

Scratch Animation

This mini Scratch project was done in two phases.

The first was the backdrop, made from a photo I took at James Turrell’s meeting installation at PS 1. I cropped out pieces of blue from the sky and pieces of the sunshine on the wall and randomly placed them throughout the picture. The goal was to fill the room with sky blue and the sky with the white sunshine.

The second phase was the addition of the sprite. It’s based on a drawing I drew as a kid. There’s no gameplay as a traditional game but there is a hidden surprise.

https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/283403425/

The Black Crowns

Though my artistic medium of choice is currently photography, I have always loved making things (or breaking things) with my hands. The Black Crowns are a combination of two things I enjoy; photography and sculpture. Black Crown (Biggie) was inspired by a quote in a play that I saw. The term “black crown” floated in the air and sparked the question “What would a black crown look like?” I thought about what a crown means in black culture and specifically in Hip Hop culture. This led to The Notorious B.I.G.’s portrait of him wearing a tilted crown. I modeled my crown based on the one he wore. Instead of using a prefabricated crown, I decided to make my own using clay. Working with my hands brings me joy. The process helps to slow me down and helps me to be present. Mistakes happen when I get ahead of myself and when they do, it reminds me to focus and recenter myself. It becomes a practice in meditation for me. This one idea for a photograph has morphed into a larger body of work that I’m excited to produce.

Black Crown (Biggie)

Black Crown (Basquiat)

Back At It Again (Temporarily)

I've been away from this blog for a hot minute and it will now be active for a few months. It'll probably go back to being dormant after May but who knows. I'm taking a class New Media New Form and our first assignment is to create a blog so we can post our assignments to it. I almost made a new blog for the class then remembered I can just use this one. I must say, even years later, I love the layout and colors of this blog. It brings back some good memories. 

For now, this blog will be the resting place for my class assignments. Enjoy.

spill

over the silent rainbow
silk tightens grip
until hand breaks connection.

a river of grapes
flows down trachea
absorbed through skin tissue water cells.

a level of free
recaps the day weekend week month
lost entries in the calendar
beg to be recognized.

dreams scuttle above head
no hook
no line
bare hands fill the sky
reach
digits sway in uncoordinated unison.

life looks down
enchanted by the metaphoric worms
which side is doing the luring?

in the middle
they meet
two things happen
both necessary
both liberating.

a house is built
an opportunity capitalized
a future secured.

a house is incinerated
an opportunity capitalized
lost in transition
exhausted
a new future secured.

i stand on the corner
no drugs to sell
one hand holds the sack
one hand holds the cubes
dice to roll
true gamblers surround me.
no money
life fills the pot.
ignorance and education
weaves a conversation
filled with insight and inconsistencies.

the pretty sounds echo
sing along with the birds
after
4,5,6
1,2,3
i keeps rolling.

run it back.

after

a talespin
spiral down staircase
smoke trails
aftermath of a thought

a hope
imploded on the heart that birthed it

Behind the Performance - Final Crit

Insoluble - Final Crit

silent

when noise dies

traces of truth can be heard. 

the slow rhythm of the drum

sets the pace of the spirit dance.

liquid crashes into solid materials

and asks you to listen.

reminders of a time surrounded by the essence of life

guides dreams up a spiral staircase. 

from the crown

the world is filled with makers of sound. 

they scream

wave your attention to destinations unknown

thrive in the commerce of thought. 

anything 

to get you

not to 

think of you. 

sidetracked by manifested importance

we spin uncontrollably.

slam into one another. 

the song is constant. 

never stops to catch a breath. 

silence waits patiently

so the mind can understand the heart. 

grit

hustle

muscle

persistence

try not to make sense of it

bricks tumble
gravity falls
the copy runs amuck.

fun laughs
secrets scream obscenities
the world watches.

bass trembles
speakers pop bottles
the television paints never-ending images.

signals pass through flesh
cells adjust
the life of a note complicates matters.

thoughts wish to be the same
change forces the hand
knocks patterns to the floor.

and all this time
the brain tries to connect
dots leap in and out of existence
plays tug a war with rationale thought.

summer approaches.

wild out.

post apocalytic

every whisper
taps at my soul
entices me to stay wide.

the road contracts
expands
freezes in the winter night
thaws during summer rain
tears from heaven mixes with the flats.

talk of a new day vanishes.

Long Island Connection 3 - artspace & LIU Post

Two

Preliminary sketch of Insoluble & Non-Nutritive project. 

One

Preliminary sketch for Insoluble & Non-Nutritive project. 

status

green light, go
red light, go

the ultimate question

ruins

footsteps creep on bubblegum stained concrete
darkness pushes light to the side
observers of the night prepare
six cities arm for battle
but nothing will happen tonight
packs of wolves take inventory
they spread through streets tunnels rooftops
the opposition does the same
they divide the chess board
staking out squares
anticipating valuable real estate
paths cross
they know not to engage
a tight rope of nerves play violin strings
releasing calming tense energy
the walker flows between the future combatants
makes his notes in his books
anticipates the new order

between the madness
a cigarette burns

thankful

family
life
love
health
the adventurous spirit
curiosity
willingness to fail
grit
determination
patience
friends: both far and near
imagination
the child within
creativity
gravity
traditions
spontaneity
choice